State Fair Food – Americana at its Deep-Fried Best

Beside attractions such as the Minnesota Cutting Horse Association Competition, upper left, where horse and rider “cut” a cow from a herd, the Minnesota State Fair also holds ribbon-winning competitions for a wide array of things like canning and baking. New among the 450 food options offered to fairgoers this year, will be Comet Corn (upper right) – “a futuristic caramel corn made with liquid nitrogen” and Wine-Glazed Deep-Fried Meatloaf (lower right), homemade meatloaf deep-fried on-a-stick with a red pepper wine glaze. The Minnesota State Fair runs from now through Labor Day. For more information and photos, visit the Minnesota State Fair website at www.mnstatefair.org.

You’ve never been to a state fair, you owe it to yourself to go. They are fun, and you won’t leave hungry. Of course, some are better than others, and I was spoiled early on having lived in Dallas for a number of years, where the Texas State Fair state fair lasted for weeks, this year from September 27 through October 20. And, you can be sure state fair foodies are in Minnesota right now enjoying the 450 food options, available now through Labor Day, from 300 vendors, including new food items, such as, Wine-Glazed Deep-Fried Meatloaf on-a-stick and Comet Corn – “a futuristic caramel corn made with liquid nitrogen."

The state fair in South Carolina starts on October 9 and will continue through October 20, in Columbia. Now would be a good time to start making travel plans if you think you’d like to attend. The website for the South Carolina State Fair (www.scstatefair.org) lists 84 food options, with Wacky Burgers and Radical Dogs listed as new food choices for 2013 – including the Jalapeño Corn Dog, Mr. Elvis Corn Dog, Mighty Chocolate Chip Corn Dog and Corn Dog Puppies. Foods that are deep-fried and served on a stick are considered haute cuisine at state fairs, but, fortunately, some of the most popular dishes, such as corn dogs, caramel corn and funnel cakes can be replicated at home. If you’d like in on some fair food secrets, be sure to check out next Wednesday’s food page for a few truly easy recipes. You’ll need chopsticks and a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix for the corn dogs, popped corn and brown sugar for the caramel corn and for the funnel cakes, confectioners’ sugar. You probably already have everything else you need in your pantry, but you might want to pick up some extra vegetable oil for deep-frying. For sure, however much you have on hand, you’ll likely need more.